Thirties and Forties

by G.W. "Bill" Snell

I love that soothin' sunshine
On my old sore back
Slept in someone's barn last night
Close to the railroad track

When I dropped off that boxcar
It was pulled off on a siding
To let the Midnight Special by
Where the moneyed folks were ridin'

I thought to myself—I wish
I was ridin' her dining car
Eatin' steak, drinkin' wine
And lightin' a big cigar

But rabbit and wild onion stew
Really don't taste bad
You'd like it too my friend
If that was all you had

I've been livin' off the land
Or someone's back door handout
Haven't find work anywhere
And I've been most every route

The 'thirties was a bad time
A time of mass migration
A lot of folks 'bout lost faith
In the soundness of their nation

I had some tin can coffee
For breakfast this a.m.
I sure could use a couple of eggs
And a big ole slice of ham

I'm headin' straight for Texas
On the next freight goin' down
I hear a man can go to work
In 'bout any Texas town

At least it should be warmer
Won't need my fleece-lined suit
And I surely won't go hungry
If I find work pickin' fruit

It dawned on me this mornin'
I'd hopped the wrong damn freight
Wound up in Amarillo
The wrong part of the state

I got a job sweepin' up
In a beanery down the street
Wasn't any cash involved
But I got a lot to eat

I think I'll travel with the sun
Since I'm way out west this far
Think I'll put my thumb to work
And hitch me a ride in a car

I got fired in Amarillo
Pushin' broom and such
Boss said he couldn't keep me
Said "boy you eat too much"

Been standin' with my thumb up
Can't get a car to stop
Every one is full of folks
With belongin's tied on top

A couple of tires and a mattress
Some buckets and pots and pans
They're keepin' cool while movin'
With wet rags and cardboard fans

Here comes a man in a Model "T"
And I've got my thumb up high
It's gettin' late and looks like rain
Yea! he didn't pass me by

He says to me "get in son
But I ain't goin' far
Just down the road to Glenrio
I own the local bar"

He offered me a quarter
To get a bite to eat
I thanked him kindly, shook his hand
And went on down the street

Glenrio had one small café
The menu looked just fine
I filled up on bread and soup
It wasn't served with wine

I finally got to Albuquerque
And looked for work all day
Found a store, could use my help
Got groceries for my pay

A cracked jar of peanut butter
Some week-old bread and sardines
I'm doin' a whole lot better
I'm now a man of means

I fixed a sardine sandwich
With a peanut butter top
Sittin' on the curb havin' lunch
When I's run off by a cop

Just ready to leave, I said
Didn't want'a risk an arrest
Decided on the rails again
My thumb done failed the test

I moseyed down to the freight yard
Huntin' a ride goin' west
Found an empty boxcar
Climbed in and tried to rest

We rattled and rocked across Arizona
Rolled onto the desert 'neath starry skies
I fixed another, the last gourmet sandwich,
Laid down and dreamed cherry pies!

I quit that train in Bakersfield
Jumped when she slowed way down
Needed clean clothes and a sack of grub
Waited till mornin' to go into town

Turned out the town was waitin'
They needed a stranger to lynch
Someone had stolen the sheriff's car
Dang sure wasn't me that's a cinch

I says "boys you've got the wrong man
I never learned how to drive"
They said "you'd better confess boy
Or you may not leave here alive"

Next day the jail was buzzin'
I sure 'nough feared my fate
Then I heard the sheriff's cousin
Had borrowed his car for a date

They turned me loose next mornin'
Before the "J" birds were fed
I sure hated missin' breakfast
But knew to complain I was dead

Folks from the dust bowl country
Were comin' in a steady stream
By thumb, by car and rail
Chasin' a fantasy dream

I think I'll move on to the coast
There's more goin' on out there
If Hitler keeps kickin' folks around
There'll be lots of work everywhere

Well—Ole Hitler kept right on kickin'
Now the Japs want in on the fun
First thing I know I'm marchin
And learnin' to shoot an M-1

This country came out of depression
Smack into a world wide war
God! what a price for prosperity
And I've never understood the score

"We won!" so they say, "Won what?" I ask
I sure would like to know
Try tellin' that to the dead and dyin'
I'm sure they'd say "Not so!"

I've rambled on through troubled times
From the Depression to WWII
Though this character is fictitious
He's the profile of thousands like you

This century is on its last hurrah
2000 will be a delight
With all this electronic technology
To make the world's darkness bright!

Copyright © G.W. Snell 2003